A note from Lauren

Can you believe it’s the last day of 2025?! Today feels like the perfect time to share this news with you. I come with some news and a heart full of joy, gratitude, peace and hope! It is time for me to pass on the torch as the director of The Fruitful Hollow. 

If you’ve been around since our humble beginnings, you probably know the whirlwind story of how we got started. God hit me on the head with the idea of this ministry after I had been yelling at him while I was driving. His direction was simple, “Your cross is meant to be carried; stop praying that I take it away from you.” After I heard these piercing words, my mind filled with a whirl of images, conversations and memories. He was asking me to do something that would help others carry the cross of infertility with grace. He wanted me to put out valid Church resources and lead others closer to Him, not further away. When The Fruitful Hollow got started, it seemed like so many well-meaning people were falling into the guilt, shame, envy and jealousy that can often accompany an infertility journey. He was asking me to do the opposite. I put a feeler out on a Facebook infertility group and within a week we had built an international team. This team was not just an ordinary team; but one that was built in the shadows by the Holy Spirit. I will never adequately be able to describe what watching everything come together felt like; it was truly a sight to behold. And truly, it was not me. When he asked me to do this, he picked the least equipped. 

We will celebrate 5 years of mission on January 21st 2025. There are truly no words to describe how much this ministry means to me and how proud I am of what we have accomplished. It has connected me with the most incredible group of women, friends from all over the world, and with you, dear reader. 

Unlike the initial “hit on the head” that jumpstarted The Fruitful Hollow, this prompting from God came as a subtle whisper. A thought that would calmly and peacefully flow through my mind. One that I pushed away for months. Yet, gently He has made His will known to me; it’s time to pass the torch. When The Fruitful Hollow started, I remember sharing with Katie, our incredible Managing Editor, that I knew this was not meant to be a personal infertility blog. The ones that I had found online had often fizzled out as life moved on. That was not what I wanted for The Fruitful Hollow. I needed to build a ministry that could withstand the test of time. One that would remain relevant. One that would evolve with the times. 

It is for this reason that on our 5th anniversary, a new director will take over. In order to remain relevant and evolve with the times, we must have someone with a fresh passion and purpose. God has revealed to me a bright future for The Fruitful Hollow. It’s as if I’m standing on a moving boat and see several islands in the distance; the new director will know which one we are to move towards. At the start of November, we held a Fruitful Hollow “conclave”. Several members of our team prayerfully considered a term as the next director. I’m thrilled to announce that a new director has been chosen: C. J. Parke! This is truly an extraordinary and exciting time and I am confident that she will continue to guide and lead The Fruitful Hollow community in ways that will always remain fruitful, relevant, and bring us all closer to the Lord. As we wrap up this 5th year of fruitfulness please pray in a special way for C. J.! 

As for me, I’ll still be around. I’ve shared with the team that I’m excited to remain a team member and perhaps to step into a role as a Sister of Hannah. In many ways, The Fruitful Hollow feels to me like a spiritual baby. While God has never cured my infertility, He has given me the gift of this ministry. I never thought I would say it, but I’m grateful for my infertility because it led me to you. 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Lauren Allen